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North Carolina football is about to embark on a new era it never quite saw coming. The Tar Heels are welcoming arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, former New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick, to lead them.
Going from the NFL down to the college level is set to be a significant transition for the 73-year-old. Honestly, it would be for anybody, especially with the current structure of college athletics. Belichick now has to navigate recruiting, players balancing classes and academics, and the never-ending saga of NIL and the transfer portal.
This is a new ballgame for Belichick.
There is at least one positive for “Chapel Bill” in his first year, however: the schedule might be one of the easiest in the ACC.
“The first year of the Bill Belichick era brings plenty of attention and excitement from the outside. There’s also an opportunity to hit the ground running with a favorable conference draw,” CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson wrote. “The Tar Heels get a week off before hosting Clemson and another bye after to recover. They then avoid arguably the next three most challenging teams in the league (Miami, SMU, Louisville).”
Easy schedule or not, UNC is still set to be one of the most unpredictable teams in college football. Still, we’ll take a shot with North Carolina's bold predictions for 2025.
North Carolina makes a bowl game, wins between 7-8 games
Speaking of the schedule, it can't be reiterated enough how lucky Belichick was in avoiding some of the conference's top teams. Though the ACC is not loaded like the SEC or Big Ten, it's still a power conference, so avoiding all but one of its ranked teams is impressive.
That said, it's realistic to believe that this year's North Carolina football team can surprise some folks by overachieving. They could even be bowl-eligible by the end of October.
“If he [Belichick] just coaches well, then this is a team that can go out there and win eight games,” Joel Klatt said via On3. “So you’re looking at the schedule right now … the toughest game is by far, Clemson. Okay, so listen, they’re probably going to lose that. And then what else do they have? I mean, TCU to open. They play at Charlotte, they play against Richmond. They play at UCF, which is a bottom-tier Big 12 school right now, at Cal, like nothing on that schedule scares me. The two best opponents are probably Clemson and North Carolina State, you would throw, maybe, TCU in there as well, but certainly nothing that’s going to scare you.”
Between seven or eight wins should not be out of reach for this team, even with the roster overhaul. Just don't expect an ACC Championship appearance yet.
North Carolina beats Duke in Bill Belichick's first year
One of the first things Belichick said — in a tweet of all things — when he signed on to become UNC’s coach was his dislike for UNC's greatest rival.
“'Beat Dook' My first words as a boy are my first words on X! Go Heels!!”
Up until last year’s 21-20 loss in Durham, the Tar Heels had won five straight against Duke.
It may not be basketball, but if there’s one thing Belichick can do to quickly win over Tar Heel faithful, beating the Blue Devils is priority No. 1. And this year, that would likely be considered an upset. Duke could very well be a dark-horse ACC candidate. So, this would make the victory even sweeter.
North Carolina will be a top 50 defense in scoring
One of the biggest problems for North Carolina under Mack Brown — and even before him — was the defense. Last season’s group was no exception, ranking 89th in the country in scoring at 28.1 points allowed per game. The Tar Heels also gave up 5.6 yards per play (70th) and 375.8 yards per game (72nd).
If there’s one thing Belichick should be able to lean on, it’s his greatest strength: defense. Whether as a coordinator or head coach, Belichick’s teams have almost always featured stout defensive units. Granted, this year’s defense may not be drastically improved, but it should at least be better.
Like the rest of this UNC roster, it remains a virtual unknown. Just two starters return from last year’s unit, with a wave of transfers brought in to fix it. Going from 89th to 50th or better may be a tall task, but if anyone could do it, it would be Belichick.
Davion Gause picks up where Omarion Hampton left off
Belichick probably wishes he still had Omarion Hampton on this year’s roster. The ACC’s leading rusher from last season is now with the Los Angeles Chargers. But sophomore Davion Gause could be ready to break out.
Gause was recently named to the 2025 Doak Walker Award watch list, which goes to the nation’s most outstanding running back. As a freshman, he finished with 67 carries for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
Given that Belichick could lean on an old-school brand of football in Year 1 — tough defense and a ground game that controls the clock — Gause, along with Benjamin Hall and Demon June, could be the focal point of the offense.
Gause may not lead the ACC in rushing, but a top-five finish is not out of the question.
